


Small Promises

by thatsrightdollface



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Crying Breakfast Friends!, F/F, Fluff, spinearl week, the major character death is Pink Diamond, theme park, with a bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 02:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20828036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsrightdollface/pseuds/thatsrightdollface
Summary: It wasn’t that Spinel didn’t wanna go to Steven Universe’s human birthday party.  She was just kinda nervous, was all, even though Pink Pearl promised everything would be okay.I wrote this for Spinearl Week on tumblr, though I'm sorry it's a bit late -- it's for the "Promise" prompt~





	Small Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I hope you enjoy this, if you read it. :D Sorry for any and all mistakes I might've made!!! 
> 
> I keep thinking about Spinel going to a Disney World equivalent place -- I think that's part of why this happened the way it did, ahaha. 
> 
> Have a great day!!!

It wasn’t that Spinel didn’t wanna go to Steven Universe’s human birthday party. She was just kinda nervous, was all, even though Pink Pearl promised everything would be okay. Pink Pearl was sure their former Diamond’s organic son would love the present Spinel had put together — a replica of his home on Earth, Beach City, twisted out of about a gazillion balloons. She was certain it meant something that Steven wanted the both of them to come out and join everybody else at the “Crying Breakfast Friends!” Fun Park, and that he video chatted with Spinel almost as often as Blue Diamond called Yellow when they were separated for a while. They’d kept their distance for a bit — Spinel was working to relearn friendship, after all, as well as she could — but after she’d called that first time... (checking in when she heard about shenanigans with some sorta “Snake People”)... welp. Pink Pearl said she could hear Spinel cackling during her calls with Steven, now, even through the walls. 

And y’know? Pink Pearl was probably on to something. She’d always been sort of sweetly _knowing_, even way back when, before Spinel’s six thousand years rooted to her Best Friend’s garden and aching for Pink Diamond to return. Back before White Diamond’s punishment, when they’d watched Pink Pearl’s self drain right out of her. A hollow, smiling shell wouldn’t have been able to flip the through the “Crying Breakfast Friends!” Fun Park guidebook Steven had sent, or gag a little when Spinel admitted she was interested in trying one of those breakfast-y bacon caramel apples. Spinel’s rubbery legs had fallen to shaking comical jelly underneath her, watching that punishment unfold so long ago. One second Pink Pearl had been there, hands folded softly, mouth parted just a little like she was about to ask a question. And the very next instant... 

Pink Diamond hadn’t told Spinel what White was threatening her with — that she’d take away her Pearl if she didn’t behave, all that. Looking back on it, there was _all sorts_ of stuff Pink hadn’t told either of them, and Spinel had been drawn out of the planet just to be her friend. Maybe Spinel could’ve done something to help, if she’d understood what was at stake. And on another note — what if White had taken her away, next? Would Pink Diamond have warned her about it, then? Spinel wanted to believe she would have. That their friendship had been everything she’d thought it was, at least for a little while. 

Or maybe, considering how Pink Diamond had left Spinel to gather dust, to memorize every star and watch their playground rot around her... oh, geez. Maybe not. 

Spinel and Pink Pearl hadn’t talked much about any of that, yet, except when Spinel said, “We missed you a ton,” and Pink Pearl said, “Well, I guess I can believe _you_ did.” There was a quieter, less elastic, less consuming anger, there, but anger all the same. Not the kinda rage that led to jamming a huge old injector into Pink Diamond’s planet, trying to kill her son and wither everything... But still. 

Spinel felt her own poison, her hurt and panic, churning around in her even now, sometimes. When she wasn’t careful. It’d changed the way she saw everything, ya know, and it had become so hard to trust. Pink Pearl still got a faraway, screaming look in her eye, too. She ran a wincing finger along the cracks in her face when she thought Spinel wasn’t looking. She gaped around at how Homeworld had changed – _how_ _everything_ _had changed – _while she wasn’t herself. Really, it was a wonder Pink Pearl had recognized Spinel at all, huh?

But she had. 

And they were going to Steven Universe’s birthday party. For better or for worse. Gulp.

Spinel super hoped it was actually okay for her to go back to Earth, now — people might recognize her from The News, right? Spinel had learned all about The News from Yellow Pearl, who had been bringing it to Homeworld with some real pizzazz. It might cause trouble if someone, uh, found her out, or got mad at Steven for making her one of the matching group t-shirts he’d promised. Maybe it woulda been easier... or at least less likely to accidentally ruin her new friend’s party just by turning up... to send Steven his present with Pink Pearl. Along with her sincerest regrets, of course. 

But Pink Pearl swore Steven really wanted _both_ of them there — she promised he had told her as much, one of those times when he sent over weekly cartoons he’d recorded for them to watch. (The “Crying Breakfast Friends!” show itself didn’t actually make as much sense to Spinel as some of the wackier, funnier ones, but Pink Pearl had sat analyzing it earnestly with her for so long that she thought she got the appeal at least a little bit, anyway. It was nice to see her so alive, again. Spinel would watch a hundred thousand episodes featuring sobbing Earth foods to see her light up like that, she was realizing.)

Pink Pearl said all that stuff, and Spinel was trying to believe her. This was gonna be Pink Pearl’s first trip to Earth, too, and... and you know what she said about _that_? 

“I haven’t been off-planet in so long... I’ll feel better if you’re with me, Spinel. Please?”

And that kinda thing, right there? Being that sort of friend, that stability, that comfort? 

_That_ was what Spinel had been made for. She looped her elastic arms around the crook of Pink Pearl’s elbow right away, no more questions asked, and said, “You got it! One travel companion, comin’ right up!”

They would teleport to Steven’s house with the Crystal Gems, first — Pink Diamond’s _other_ friends, who she’d pulled close even as she traded Pink Pearl to White Diamond’s punishment and left Spinel to so much rot and stars. They’d be together, and maybe that could help it not be so weird. Pink Pearl would wave hello for both of them, first, and call, “Oh, Steven — happy human birthday!” She’d pull Spinel forward by the hand, squeezing her fingers, and Spinel would feel herself flush. Feel the smile stretch over her face. She might even look a little brave, by the time Pink Diamond’s human son trotted over to say hello.

They were gonna have a good time, right? Just like Pink Pearl had said. They were gonna ride Spilled Milk’s Cereal Cyclone Coaster, and Weeping Egg Cup’s Tilt-a-Whirl, and Spinel would just keep doing her best to be the kinda friend Steven could be proud to have wearing one of those matching t-shirts he was handing out. That felt more possible than it had in a long time, knowing how her acts could make Pink Pearl laugh. Knowing someone would still be holding her hand as Steven rounded everybody up to head for the park. Someone would be holding her hand, and possibly also reminding her — not for the first time that morning, let’s add — to work extra hard not to get lost in the park. 

“If I did, I’d just stretch up really tall so I could see you,” Spinel might say. 

And, “Alright, then. You better,” Pink Pearl might offer back. Another promise, soft and silly and still meaning so, so much despite everything. 

There ya go. 


End file.
